An Investigation of Limited Learner-Control Options in a CAI Mathematics Course

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Abstract
In a CAI course on coordinates and transformations, students (grades 9–12) could select objectives within topics and then choose to take either instruction first or a test first. Individual students tended to choose consistently one or the other of these two options. No correlation was found between pretest scores and the option chosen. Although test-first students did not perform significantly better than instruction-first students, students who were consistent in their choices had significantly higher scores than students who selected a mixture of the test-first and instruction-first options. Comments from students regarding the reasons for their choices suggest a personality variable which ranges from cautious to confident.